The European Union applauded as 2009 brought a smooth emergence of democracy back on the rails in Bangladesh after the parliamentary elections and called on the country’s political parties to seek new solutions to the challenges of its governance.

Congratulating the people of Bangladesh for its peaceful participation in the parliamentary elections, Benita Ferrero- Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy said in a statement: “I learned with satisfaction that the elections for the ninth Jatiya Sangshad of Bangladesh were conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner and that Bangladeshi people went to the polls in significant numbers. With these elections, the Bangladeshi people have drawn to a close the period of interim government and opened the way to a legitimately elected government.

The commissioner urged the parties in parliament to address the challenges that Bangladesh faces saying: “Representatives of all parties having gained seats in parliament must share the task of working together to address the challenges that Bangladesh faces, of ensuring that the new parliament functions in a democratic, fair and effective manner that allows enough political space for the opposition to exercise its rights, and of sustaining the key reforms and institutional gains started by the Caretaker Government.”

“Finally, I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of both the Bangladeshi authorities in organising and conducting these elections and the staff of the EU Election Observation Mission in ensuring a thorough scrutiny of the polls,” the commissioner concluded.

FRENCH PRESIDENCY CONGRATULATES
The outgoing French EU presidency also congratulated the Awami League of former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed for its election, hailing the peaceful nature of the polls. The EU presidency, held by France till New Year’s Day, said it “rejoices in the peaceful and constructive manner with which the Bangladeshi people exercised the vote and congratulates the Awami League and its allies on their victory.” “The positive conclusions contained in the preliminary report by the European Union observer mission shows the rigour taken in preparing these elections organised by the interim government, the electoral commission, the police and other security services,” it added in a statement.

CLEAN SWEEP
According to the Bangladesh Election Commission (EC), the Awami League led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina overwhelmingly won the latest parliamentary vote, securing 231 of the total 299 seats. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia-led gained only 29 seats. The Awami League was expected to form the next government.

The ninth parliamentary elections were scheduled to be held Jan 22, 2007, but were postponed by President Iajuddin Ahmed due to the deteriorated political situation in the country. The new caretaker government headed by former central bank governor Fakhruddin Ahmed took office Jan 12, 2007, and promised to hold free, fair elections. The elections for the ninth Parliament (Jatiya Sangshad) in Bangladesh took place on December 29, 2008.

EOM WELCOMES RETURN TO DEMOCRACY
Moreover, there were words of praise from the EU team on the ground in Bangladesh as it called the elections as transparent and credible, and reflecting “the will of the people of Bangladesh,” in a statement issued by European Union monitors. The EU’s chief observer Alexander Graf Lambsdorff said the elections, which ended the two-year rule of an armybacked caretaker regime, marked an important step in the restoration of democratic governance in Bangladesh. “Minor technical difficulties aside, professionalism, transparency and credibility were the hallmarks of this election,” Lambsdorff said.

“The outcome of the election appears to reflect the will of the people of Bangladesh. Our observers did not report patterns of fraud in the process.” In November, the EU re-deployed the Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Bangladesh, which was suspended on January 11, 2007.

The EU EOM deployed 150 observers from 25 EU member states and Norway and Switzerland throughout Bangladesh to observe and assess the electoral process, in accordance with international standards for elections as well as the laws of Bangladesh. The EOM will stay on the ground until mid January to observe the post-election developments. A final report covering the elections and containing recommendations on the electoral process will be published by the EU EOM in the next few months.